


400 Moments

by Mai_Blade



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, Do Not Post on Another Website, Don't copy to another site, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, One Night Stands, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Reader-Insert, Song Lyrics, Unrequited Crush, but not whole songs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2020-12-07 18:46:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20980628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mai_Blade/pseuds/Mai_Blade
Summary: Or maybe, four-hundred different lifetimes?





	1. When My Time Comes, Forget the Wrong That I've Done [Rob Lucci]

He was so far away, so out of your league that it wasn’t even funny. 

Every year he got stronger, and every year he was gone for longer and longer. He was in a place you could no longer reach, no longer catch up to, not when you’re so _weak_. 

Although sometimes, when you hear rumors of the things he’s done, you are almost glad you will never be close to the same level as him. You are often told that you’re too soft-hearted and too weak besides, so you never leave the village where you grew up, but you do contribute in your own way. Today, after what seems like forever, you spy a familiar back and brighten.

“Lucci!” You call out his name, running to catch up to him after catching sight of his back. You smile up at him as he glances back at you, still walking. You greet, “I didn’t know you would be back today. Welcome home!”

Lucci kept walking, staring straight ahead. He half-listened to you chattering as you walked, going to turn in his report. You knew better than to follow him into the building, failed CP9 candidate you were, and he left you outside without a second thought. When he finally exited the building after delivering his written and oral report, he wasn’t surprised to see you still waiting.

(_she was annoying like that_)

“Lucci,” you say brightly, standing up from where you’d been sitting. You grin up at him from the bottom of the stairs. “I’m sure you did a great job!”

“I never fail,” he replied shortly. 

“Yes, I know,” you say with a nod. You fall in step beside him as he walked through the village, happy just to walk beside him. He rarely tells you to get lost and today isn’t one of those days.

Lucci silently accepted your offer of a drink at a local restaurant. You’re sure that you get on his nerves from time to time, but you’re usually competent enough to understand his silence and his unspoken words. He stares at you through the steam of his coffee as you sip your tea, and you fidget slightly under his intense gaze.

Once again, you wonder what it would have been like if you had been able to reach even Kalifa’s level of strength. When you were a child, you had gotten very sick and had stayed sick for a long time. By the time you had recovered, the other candidates and the current CP9 members had left you far behind with no hope of catching up. Your sickness never really went away for the next five years and had been dropped from training. Despite your body being somewhat frail, you had kept on doing what training you could manage and your reward was that you were stronger than most average Marines. Still, no one, not even you and least of all him, expected you to ever be a member of the CP9 or any other Cipher Pol squad.

Instead you lived in the village and pitched in where you could, repaying the government that way for the time and resources spent raising a failure like yourself.

Having looked away, you glance back at him and see him seemingly ignoring your presence across from him. You suspected that unflattering thoughts about you had probably crossed his mind more than once, but he was still here drinking with you. Lucci—stoic, bloodthirsty, amazingly strong Lucci—was sitting here with _you_. 

(_she is soft and weak, but she has always smiled at him, a face he can’t forget despite having thought he would_

_his purpose flashes across his mind, the path she can longer follow, and then—_)

"When my time comes,” Lucci said suddenly, surprising both you and himself, “Forget the wrong that I've done."

He stands and leaves you sitting there.

It will be a long time before you see him again.

* * *

**No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow. **

**~Euripides**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics are from "Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park, which I do not own, obviously.


	2. I Gaze Into the Night [Kaku]

Being an assassin for the World Government means never having another job. Everything you do is for the sake of the mission, no matter how long it takes, what sacrifices it demands, or what you have to pretend to be. Being an assassin means never having a normal life, never being able to do what you please or want. It means being away from home for years, maybe for always. Having friends in the same profession, having people you care about in the same profession, means little. They are subject to the same rules, the same situations. Sometimes you find yourselves apart for ages, sometimes forever when a mission fails or goes awry.

Kaku stared at his tea, pensive. Kalifa noticed his change in manner. “Is something wrong?”

Kaku glanced up at her. He exhaled softly, “She’s not home. She’s out on a mission.”

Kalifa lowered her newspaper, hearing something he wasn’t saying, “And?”

He frowned, “She was supposed to be back two months ago.”

“Ah,” Kalifa murmured, staring at the print in front of her.

“I was so glad to be back,” Kaku went on. “I dropped by her place but she wasn’t there. Someone told me about her assignment and how there were rumors going around that she’d failed. It’s only been a couple of months, but it’s, well, been a couple of months, if that makes sense.”

Kalifa pretended to read, letting Kaku lament.

“The last time I saw her she said she’d be waiting here for me.”

_You smiled at him, giving him a clap on the shoulder, “I’ll be here waiting for you, Kaku!”_

_“Barring your missions, I presume,” he replied good-naturedly. He smiled, “You realize I’ll be gone for five years?”_

_“You realize love is always a hurricane?” you grinned in reply. “Seriously though, I’ll be here, even if you get back before me. Just you wait and see!”_

“Of course, she isn’t,” Kaku pointed out. He slowly tapped his finger against the table, "I open the window and I gaze into the night, but there's nothing there to see. No one in sight."

* * *

**Life is so short, so fast the lone hours fly,  
We ought to be together, you and I.**

**~Henry Alford, "You and I" (Thanks, Jenn)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" by ABBA, which I do not own.


	3. He Was a Boy, She Was a Girl [Kalifa]

Jabra cracked his knuckles, glaring down at the courtyard from the window. Kaku was talking to you and you were nodding. Jabra’s brows furrowed further when you suddenly laughed, lightly touching Kaku’s arm.

Kalifa, on her way elsewhere, paused for a moment to see what was grating on Jabra’s nerves this time. Spying the source of his irritation she closed her eyes and moved on her way, her smooth voice calling back to further enrage Jabra.

"He was a boy, she was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious?"

* * *

**The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves. **

**~William Penn, Some Fruits of Solitude, 1693**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne, which I do not own.


	4. Our Games of Make Believe [Rob Lucci]

You loved living at Water Seven. You’d been born here and had lived your whole life here. Aqua Laguna was a pain in the ass but it was a part of life and you dealt with it. Now it was coming again and you were preparing to leave, about to head out and seek safety at one of the shelters. The business with the Straw Hat Pirates and the assassination attempt on Iceberg-san’s life added to the stress of Aqua Laguna, but the president had survived, which had allowed you to breathe a sigh of relief. If Iceberg-san died, then Water Seven would be finished. 

Damn pirates.

In another line of thought you wondered if Lucci would be taking shelter in the same place as you ag–

_Clack_

Your heart skipped a beat as you spun around, the unexpected noise in your apartment startling you. Glancing around the room, you couldn’t see anyone or anything that might have fallen to make the noise. You placed a hand over your quickly beating heart and wondered if you were just hearing things. Deciding it was just your imagination and you didn’t need to look for the source of the sound, you turned—and choked on a scream as the lights went out.

Someone was here with you! 

Heart beating wildly, you slowed backed up on shaking legs. There was an intruder in your home and Aqua Laguna was imminent. Were you going to be murdered tonight, whether by man or ocean water? You don’t want to die!

“W-who’s there?”

You want to smack yourself over the head. What sort of idiot burgler or potential murder would answer if called?

You let out a startled shriek as someone’s hand covered your eyes. The other arm came up and wrapped around your arms and waist, preventing you from struggling too much. Whoever this was, he was strong! Too strong for you to break free from. Oh, god, someone _hel_—

“Calm yourself,” an unfamiliar voice ordered.

Yeah right!

“Wh-who the hell–“

“Broo-hoo.”

Your eyes blinked beneath the hand covered them. That sound came from a bird, a familiar bird. You inhaled sharply, “Lu–“

The hand moved to cover your mouth instead of your eyes, silencing you.

* * *

Behind her, Lucci stared down at the top of her head. He wouldn’t have her condemning herself. He lowered his head, inhaling the smell of her hair one last time. Whether she knew it or not, this was goodbye. 

"Our games of make-believe are at an end."

It’s all he says, and he’s gone from her apartment before she can turn around. He’s streets away by the time she no doubt makes it to the street, and it’s unlikely that she will ever see him again.

He puts her out of his mind and locks away the memory of her smiling face.

* * *

**Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same. **

**~Flavia Weedn, Forever**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't know which song this is. I'll look for it later.
> 
> Edit: Alright, I think the song is "Past the Point of No Return" which is from The Phantom of the Opera, which I do not own.


	5. Soon, I'll Be Back From All This Work, And I'll Make Love To You [Kaku]

Kaku was your first love, all the way since you first saw him smile when you were both children. That smile was the reason why, even when you washed out of the Cipher Pol training, you threw everything you had into being useful on the island where everyone lived and trained, preparing themselves for the day when they would strong enough to serve the World Government.

Somehow, you were lucky enough to have him ‘try’ rather than reject you outright when you confessed. His reasoning was that someday his children would serve the World Government too, so why not have them with a woman he knows who also serves that same institution? Yeah, that’s the gist of what he said back then, but that was something you could live with as long as you could have him.

Years have passed since then, and he always comes back to you with a smile on his face.

But after his mission at Water 7 and the debacle at Enies Lobby, with the way he and the rest of CP9 had been blamed, even after all of their faithful service… You **hated** the World Government.

You did very well in hiding that fact. If he ever knew… well, you’d probably die by his hands. Such thoughts from you, one who has grown up owing everything to the institution, would surely qualify as a reason for him to turn his back on you. After all, it was the World Government that had his loyalty, not you, for however much he acted as though he had genuine feelings for you. Even as they worked him to the bone, he took their endless punishment in stride and remained his usual cheerful self.

Your mask was so well-crafted that he only thought you were mad that he was going to be gone again, and he tried to cheer you up.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it,” Kaku said brightly, already at the door and ready to leave.

You huffed, arms folded. Ever since his generation of CP9 had been “forgiven” for their catastrophic loss against the Straw Hat crew, the new Director had been running them into the ground. Your scowled deepened as rage kindled in your chest. 

“You just got back!”

Kaku grinned in response, unknowingly infuriating you. “I got back nearly two days ago. That almost qualifies as a vacation under this new Director.”

You rolled your eyes, not amused. You twitched as Kaku was suddenly in your space, moving faster than you could react to. He brought his hands up to cup and tilt your head, angling you both so that his lips fell upon yours for a soft and tender moment that soothed your inner turmoil. He leaned back and smiled gently at you. 

His next comment was at odds with the look on his face and left you blushing and wishing that his mission was already complete.

"Soon, I'll be back from all this work, and I'll make love to you."

* * *

**Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age. **

**~John Dryden**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is "Connected" by New Found Glory, which I do not own.
> 
> Also, this drabble was written long before that whole Doffy and whatever arc where the shadow outlines of what looks like Lucci, Spandam and Kaku were shown.


	6. Girl, Don't Say a Thing [Jabra]

The minute you saw him, you knew that he was trouble passing through town. Oh, you get all sorts in a port town and plenty of rough-looking men, but this man specifically made you think, _‘Oh, he’s going to cause trouble.’_

You don’t know what his business was in your town, nor did he tell you, but it was probably better that way since you wouldn’t have to live with any guilt when he’d done what he came to do and left the aftermath behind him. Knowing that you shouldn’t get attached to him for your own good doesn’t stop you from gravitating towards him. He was… _different_ from the usual people you saw around town. Not poke-you-in-eyes-different, but still different. 

You liked it. You liked him his long, bunched hair, to the muscles on his body, right down to the stylized clothes he wore. Is this the feeling that made so many of your friends and acquaintances take lovers that almost always leave? You know you shouldn’t, but just this once you threw caution to the wind.

His name is Jabra.

You had introduced yourself the first night you saw him at one of the local taverns, and you’d been ‘hanging out’ together ever since. It was night now, a few days since he’d arrived in town. His business wasn’t finished otherwise he’d be gone. You didn’t tell him you suspected him or his motives. You didn’t tell him you had a bad feeling about why he was here. You didn’t say anything that might make him suspicious of you.

It was better for your mortality that way, or at least that’s the feeling you had when you stared at him.

Yet, your fear didn’t keep you from him. Indeed, it only served to further intrigue you. After all, people are attracted to what is dangerous, to what they shouldn’t play with. Was this the so-called ‘thrill’ that so many spoke of? 

Bringing yourself out of your thoughts, you gazed over at him as he sat on the hill, gazing up at the half-moon in the cloudy sky. This far out from the village at night… you would never have come here on your own, nor with just any man. You suspect you know what’s coming, but that doesn’t make your feet turn to leave.

There is nothing to say as you wait with your heart anxiously beating in your chest. You won’t ask or make the first move, you’re not _that_ bold.

"Girl, don't say a thing.” Jabra turned his head to stare back at you, a cocksure grin on his face. “Lie here next to me underneath the moonlight.”

Your heart leapt into your throat as he patted the grass next to him, inviting you into his grasp. This was it. The moment you had been half-waiting for, half-expecting. Rejecting him doesn’t even cross your mind, but you do spare a moment to worry about your appearance when unclothed. Still, you’ve come this far, and you don’t want to turn away, because you know. Somehow, deep down, you know that this is your only chance.

When his business is finished, he wouldn’t be coming this way again.

Thus, you join him on the grass in the moonlight, and when you see his chest you feel an urge to laugh.

The lamb submitted so easily to the wolf.

(_you don’t regret it_)

* * *

**If today is not your day,  
then be happy  
for this day shall never return.  
And if today is your day,  
then be happy now  
for this day shall never return.**

**Kamand Kojouri **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics come from the song “Change Your Mind” by Gloriana, which I do not own.


	7. I Know You're Losing Sleep Over Me [Lucci]

At the age of sixteen, Lucci was well aware of the power he held over you, and not just in the fact that he was physically stronger. He’d probably had his suspicions before, but only recently had it been confirmed in an episode of blushing and stammering that you don’t want to remember, thank you very much.

He towered over you, hands firmly grasping your wrists and pinning them against the tree behind you. Looking at him, you couldn’t help but shiver at the aura he exuded. If he was like this now, what would he be in just a few short years?

Wait, stupid brain, never mind the future. How did you end up in this position in the present? You’d just been minding your own business, right? Yes, walking along with some tools you needed to patch up a hole in the wall in one of the dorms, innocently thinking of dinner, and then suddenly, bam! Lucci in your face.

Stupidly good-looking Lucci who’s currently considered the strongest and most promising CP9 member, who, if the rumors were true, wouldn’t be making many more, if any, stops here at where he grew up and where you currently live. Being a washout, this place would probably be the only place you’d know for your entire life, and that’s fine, really, it’s just…

"I know you're losing sleep over me."

Damn it. Somehow, without a word from you, he knew.

You felt your eye twitch.

“Ooh, so you’re psychic now too, huh?”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Your face reveals more than you think. It’s no wonder you are a washout.”

Great. So add that to the list of reasons why you failed to complete the CP9 training program.

He releases your wrists then, and you sigh as you rub them. Hattori coos from Lucci’s shoulder and you manage a small smile at the pigeon. You don’t know how Hattori seemingly defies aging, but you’re glad for him. As long as he lives, Lucci will never lack for company, even if it isn’t human.

Steeling yourself for his departure, you try to inject some cheer in your words as you congratulate him for his accomplishments. You tell him to take care of himself and Hattori waves a wing at you. Lucci doesn’t grace you with any more words, but the fact that he paused in crossing paths with you is enough. He’s destined for greater things than you, and it’s foolish of you to dream, so you vow to get over something that only ever existed in your head.

It never, not once, ever crosses your mind that maybe he went _looking_ for you that day, rather than just meeting you by chance.

* * *

**You endure what is unbearable, and you bear it. That is all.**

**~Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is “Make Your Move” by New Found Glory, which I do not own.
> 
> Update number 4 on my birthday updating spree! In which I cheat and update stories that don’t require a huge number of words! ;D


	8. Oh Sweetheart, Put the Bottle Down [Kaku]

It was just another mission. For this one, Rob Lucci decided that the simplest way to achieve the mission objective with the least drawn attention and suspicion would be for one of CP9 to get close to the target’s daughter and through her get what the government wanted. Of course that wasn’t the only option in action at the moment and any of the alternative attempts might succeed before this one, but for now Kaku was stuck with the daughter-angle because you hadn’t taken to either Lucci or Jabra.

But he was nothing if not an obedient agent, so he played his part, the lover of a troubled girl.

SMASH.

_And a violent one at that,_ Kaku silently observed once again, having easily side-stepped the thrown and now shattered bottle. He quirked an eyebrow as you scowled, picking up another bottle.

“…Sorry,” you apologized after a long moment, a new bottle clutched between your fingers. “I thought you were one of those assholes after I told them to piss off.”

“They cleared the ground rather quickly,” Kaku recalled, casually plopping into a seat next to you. He stretched his arm over the couch behind your shoulders. “Aside from the guard, I mean.”

You grunted, taking a swig from the bottle. You’d met Kaku at one of your father’s nightclubs. The orange haired young man had been working there and was quickly getting to be one of your father’s favorite lackeys. Well, him and that strange pigeon guy and also his new weird drinking buddy Jabra. Honestly, the weirdoes you get in the city…

Kaku sighed softly. It was always a pain to deal with a drunken you.

Your brows furrowed as Kaku slowly pried the bottle from your fingers, saying softly, "Oh sweetheart, put the bottle down. You've got too much talent."

You could protest, tell him to piss off and get lost, but you don’t.

(_you should have_)

* * *

**A man's true character comes out when he's drunk.**

**~Charlie Chaplin **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is “I Do Not Hook Up” by Kelly Clarkson, which I do not own.


End file.
